Iran asks Bahraini diplomat to leave

[News_Editor]

Iran asks Bahraini diplomat to leave

2011-03-21 03:26:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEHRAN (BNO NEWS) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Sunday one of the Bahraini diplomats in the country should leave, Press TV reported.

The country's Foreign Ministry summoned Bahrain's charge d'affaires, and informed him about the decision after Bahrain asked an Iranian diplomat to leave the Persian Gulf monarchy earlier on Sunday.

Mehmanparast called the Bahraini government's action "illogical and incomprehensible," as cited by Press TV.

"Responding to the people's legitimate demands will ensure stability and sustainability of governments, whereas cracking down on peaceful protests and seeking to divert public attention and resorting to other unjustified measures will only make the situation worse and cause deeper wounds," he said about the recent developments in Bahrain.

Iran on Wednesday recalled its ambassador from Bahrain, a day after Manama recalled its ambassador from Tehran after the Foreign Ministry objected to the deployment of Gulf troops.

More than a dozen people have been killed and hundreds have been injured since the start of the anti-government protests in the small Gulf state. The United Nations human rights chief on Thursday voiced alarm over the escalation of violence and condemned the takeover of hospitals and medical centers in the country, saying that it was "shocking and a blatant violation of international law."

The country's social unrest began after protesters called for a "Day of Rage" on February 14 to mark the 10th anniversary of the National Action Charter, which returned the country to constitutional rule after the 1990s uprisings. Initially, people took to the streets to demand reform and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy, but later they began to call for the removal of the royal family.

Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, is ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa family, but two-thirds of the population are Shiite. In recent years, younger Shiites have staged violent protests to complain about discrimination, unemployment and corruption.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-21

[dananderson]

Tit for tat. reminds of when Pol Pot burned books and then announced that Cambodia has sokved it;s illiteracy issue.

[asiawatcher]

Iran is proudly 'un-arab' but removing a diplomat is not so serious really, considering Iran is run by unstable clerics. These clerics are one of the most hated bodies and Iran is a time bomb that will soon follow Egypt, Libya and Bahrain as the voice of discontent is rife with the majority of the country. Pushing diplomats around serves no real purpose in the scheme of events.